Ncumisa

“GREEN BISHOP” IS GRANTED ARCHBISHOP’S PEACE WITH JUSTICE AWARD The Archbishop of Capetown’s Peace with Justice Award was established four years ago to “recognise distinguished service and ministry to Humanity, Creation or the Church.” It was with great joy that the award was granted to Bishop Geoff Davies and his wife Kate for their ministry at the annual renewal of priestly vows of the Diocese of Cape Town. Archbishop Emeritus Tutu was also in attendance The citation reads as follows: “ Bishop Geoff Davies, supported by his wife, Kate, has been a pioneer in the church’s environmental ministry. Bishop Geoff’s commitment, passion and love for God’s creation led him to raise awareness about environmental degradation and climate change at a time when few were listening. He established the Anglican Church of Southern Africa’s Environment Network and represented Africa at the inception of the Anglican Communion Environmental Network. He also encouraged people of other denominations and faiths to be earth-keepers, playing an instrumental role in the foundation of the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI), a multi-faith environmental organisation. SAFCEI have been involved in important advocacy campaigns including anti-fracking, the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road and the anti-nuclear campaign. For his role in mobilising Anglicans and others to act for ecological justice, selflessly dedicating himself to the people of God and all God’s creation, we honour Geoff Davies for his extraordinary contribution to the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and to the broader Christian and interfaith world. #greenanglicans Safcei Photos: Edwin Joshua

Diocese of Natal hosted their one day conference at St Agnes (Kloof) to tackle issues faced up by locals especially after experiencing heavy storms in October last year which claimed lives and damaged property some of it is yet to be fixed to date. The group met to discuss issues of climate change, advocacy, water, climate change and the church, mobilising children and young people, mobilising churches. These topics were break away session after the main speaker Dave Bookless (UK) spoke about old testament and God’s creation. A panel made up of Shanice Firmin and Bongani Mthembu from SDCEA,Thoko Makhanya (on women and the environment), Desmond D’sa first briefed the conference of the kind of work they do then answered questions from the floor. Young people and those young at heart and some clergy split to attend hte session by Ncumisa Magadla and Mandisa Gumada on how to mobilise children and young people  also how to use Ryan the Rhino for Children’s ministry. The day went well, resources were shared, some sold. In all a network of people involved in creation care in the Diocese of Natal was created. -Mandisa Gumada (Diocesan Youth Coordinator-AYSA Natal)

The diocese of Mzimvubu hosted their annual youth conference in  Kokstad on the 1st to the 3rd of December 2017.  Carefully located in the rural areas the conference had a very natural and environmental feel, which made it perfect to teach the young people who attended about the practicalities of being environmentally active.   With little input to environmental degradation the conversation was rather turned into   how to stop neighbouring towns and cities from burning and throwing things down the streams which they use for household essentials, be it drinking or washing up.  The participants were very disappointed at the amount of plastic they find in their grazing land which was dumped by the local municipality. The young people agreed to work in archdeaconries to respond to some of the immediate solutions to pollution and misuse of water in their communities.  The clergy also availed themselves to help take the word to other clergy meetings and will look into using season of creation as a resource in their services.

On the 18th of November 2017, the young people from the Anglican Church and United Reformed church in Lwandle, Strand went on hike sponsored by Leopard Trust.    Hosted by Mike Henshall the 20 young people had a very informative trip learning about types of plants an animals that lie in the hills and mountains of Western Cape .  They ended their day with a picnic by beach.    

FROM CANADA TO CAPETOWN, CHRISTIANS PRAY TOGETHER FOR CREATION :WOMENS WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2018 The World Day of Prayer, which dates back almost 100 years, is an ecumenical event in which Christians in more than 170 countries come together to pray for issues affecting women and children. The service is written by people from a different participating country each year. This year’s service was written by women from Suriname, a country along South America’s northeastern coast, and was themed “All God’s Creation is Very Good.” The theme is meant to invite learning, action and prayer on environmental concerns together with the women of Suriname, where about 90% of the population live in low-lying areas on the Atlantic coast, likely to be affected by rising sea levels caused by global warming.  Our exploitative attitude toward creation has separated us from God—but we can restore our relationship with God by being better stewards of the earth TORONTO CANADA Friday’s service was hosted by the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada (WICC), an ecumenical prayer group that co-ordinates the World Day of Prayer in Canada, and was held at St. Andrew’s United Church, Toronto. “When we break harmony with creation, we, too, break harmony with the Creator,” Beth Lorimer, ecological justice program co-ordinator for ecumenical social justice group KAIROS Canada said in a reflection in the service. However, Lorimer said, “Living a life that is mindful of creation and that seeks not to overconsume what the Creator has given us—one that recognizes the inherent value of each thing and compels us to use what is given sustainably—will reaffirm our interconnectedness and bring us into closer relationship with God.” Randy Woodley, a Cherokee theologian, once speculated that the Creator made the earth in a way that was “unhurried and leisurely,” and that he “took time to strike balance, seek wholeness and interconnectedness,” Lorimer said. In contrast, however, in the “mass-produced and homogenous” world of today, “life seems at times the opposite of unhurried, our actions the opposite of thoughtful and balanced,” with creation seen as valuable not in itself, but in how it can serve us. And that creation, she said, is now under threat in various ways as the result of human activity. Nevertheless, there is reason to hope that we may learn to live in a more ecologically just way, taking better care of both the earth and ourselves by consuming only what we need and what the earth can sustain, she said. The ceremony was preceded by a short film introducing Suriname and some of the environmental challenges it faces. Service leaders began with a welcome and greeting, and gave short introductions to the Surinamese women who wrote the service. They then lit a candle and heard the Scripture reading for the day, Genesis 1:1–31, the creation story. Read more at : https://www.anglicanjournal.com/articles/world-day-prayer-2018-invites-prayer-action-climate-change/                 Leaders invited congregants to confess their “negligence in caring for God’s creation,” and to pray for forgiveness. There were a series of prayer petitions related to environmental and social concerns affecting the people of Suriname and the world, followed by a pledge of commitment by congregants to “find in our daily lives concrete ways to express our care, and to have our government, communities, churches and families accountable to protect the earth for future generations.” CAPETOWN St Martins Church in Bergvleit went all out with a wonderful service, leaders dressed in the local costumes of the women of Suriname. Rev Natalie Simons- Arendse from St Philips Church Kenwyn was the guest speaker. What a wonderful celebration of unity and of God’s Creation and the call on us to care for it.

Water in the Cistern   Whether it’s Moses striking the rock, or Jesus turning water into wine, or being baptised in the Jordan, water lies at the very core of our Judeo-Christian history; and so does our responsibility to care for God’s creation.   Mostly, we are pretty wishy-washy about all that; yes, it’s all true but somebody else’s job. But recently events on the planet are starting to force us to take note, or face huge wars over water, devastating climate change, worsening drought patterns in South Africa, and especially the impending Day Zero in Cape Town; a day which will almost certainly be repeated next summer.   Round the world both local government and industrial companies are starting to take responsibility for the supply of clean water but it remains hugely expensive and massively energy intensive; disposing of the salt creates environmental concerns too. The Conversation (February 8, 2018) outlines the pros and cons of desalination; the plant being built in Cape Town will produce 2000 cubes of water daily at a cost of R30 per kl.   Most of us feel helpless as the situation plays itself out in Southern Africa; we might put in a few water tanks to harvest rainwater, but it’s a drop in the ocean of our needs for clean water, and in any case it’s the dry season. What could we, and should we as Christians be planning on doing?   A sojourn in the Netherlands gave this Anglican family a different insight. It too has a biblical basis as found in Jeremiah; the prophet was imprisoned in a very deep cistern in Jerusalem used for collecting rainwater. Many of the older homes in Holland, before the reticulation of water became common place, built underground reservoirs for the harvesting and storage of rainwater; a simple old fashioned hand pump brought the water to the surface for use. Harvesting of rainwater, stored underground has many advantages and none of the disadvantages of desalination. The environmental impact is positive, reducing storm water flooding. Underground the water is super cold and less prone to bacteria. Whilst some authorities claim it’s not cost effective, at R30 per kilolitre I would dispute that; and in any case, Capetonians right now would accept clean water at any price. We harvest around 200 kilolitres per annum, times R30, means paying off our investment in five years; more important we have unlimited free water for most of the year. We consider our cost of R30,000, six years ago, to provide us with clean water, a great investment. Maintenance of the reservoir is minimal, electrical costs to run a pump reasonable and, for the home, filtration and sterilisation simple; there is ample over for the garden, filling the swimming pool and washing the car. We have needed municipal water for only one month in six years at the height of the KZN drought. Except for the pump all the materials are locally available; there would be no stress on our foreign reserves to build even 100,000 such reservoirs in SA. Six men built our reservoir in two weeks, digging the hole themselves; it would create employment for a significant number of people. The only skilled part of the exercise is plastering the walls; ours was less than satisfactory and it had to be lined with fibreglass. Of course, the reservoir must have a roof to keep light out. Our reservoir stores 27,000 litres, which we supplement with three above ground fibreglass tanks; plastic doesn’t last. In the Cape, with a long dry period, I would make the reservoir 4m in diameter and 3m deep. I envisage an NGO training teams of men to build underground reservoirs for homes and businesses all over South Africa; who is going to put their hand up? Yes, Lord, send me, I’ll do it.   Bernard-Preston.com